Circular-knitting machine



(No Model.)

H. W. HARLEY & J. BRENNER.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 364,345. Patented June '7, 1887.

5;: i f d 1 :Eig.2 1 l v her-0115 M fi ag w UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD w. HARLEY AND JosEPH BRENNER, or PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,345, dated. June 7, 1887.

Application filed July 14, 1985. Serial No. 171,585. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HOWARD XV. HARLEY and JOSEPH BRENNER, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented an Improvement in Knitting- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has reference to stop-motions for knitting-machines; and it consists in certain improvements by which a brake may be automatically applied upon stopping the rotation of the needle-head; further, in so forming the brake that it may be applied or removed by hand, so as to allow the needle-head to be turned by hand independent of the motor power, or while running, whereby the brake may be applied to the needle-head to slow down the motion, and in details of construction, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

The object of our invention is to provide suitable brake mechanism to the needle-head, whereby, when the same is thrown out of gear with the power-shaft, the brake may be automatically applied to stop spinning or rotation of the needle-head, due to the momentum imparted during the working rotation after being disconnected from the power-shaft.

Our object is further to provide suitable means by which the said brake may be applied or removed by hand, so that when the needlehead has been stopped the brake may be removed without throwing the power mechanism into action and the needle-head maybe turned to find a broken thread, or while running, the

brake may be applied without throwing off the power to reduce the speed of rotation of the needle-head below that of its normal working velocity.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a knitting-machine with a stop-motion applied thereto embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line :0 0c of Fig. 1.

P is the main frame of the machine.

A is the needle-head. B is the power-shaft. G is the power band-wheel, and D is the bevel pinion that meshes with the gear on the needle head to rotate it. This bevetpinion D isloose upon the power-shaft B, and may be connected or disconnected by the clutch part E, which is operated by a lever, F, the movement of which in one or the other direction throws the clutch into or out of action, so that the continuallyrotating shaft 13 is connected with or disconnected with the pinion D, thereby positively rotating the necdlehead A or allowing it to come to rest.

G is the brake'shoe, and is loosely connected at I with the shortend of the lever H, fulcrumed at h on frame 1?, which lever is provided with a handle, J, by which it may be shifted to apply the brake G or to remove it from the'pcriphery of the needle-head A.

Hinged to the lever F, at M, is a bar, L, having a notch, L, upon its under side and near its free end, the said bar being passed through the slotted pivot-connection K, carried by the lever H, the notch L in said bar receiving a pin, 7c, in said part K, so that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 the rod L positively connects both the levers H and F, so that when one is moved the other is moved also. Therefore when it is desired to stop the knitting-machine, the operator simply moves the lever F to withdraw the clutch part and free the pinion D, and the said action simultaneously moves the lever H, causing the brake G to be automatically applied and thereby arrest the rotation or spinning of the needle-head. Upon throwing the clutch part into connection again the brake G is automatically removed.

The arrangement of the brake with the needle-head is'such that the movement of the brake-shoe when being applied is in the direction of the rotation of the needlehead, and thereby requires very little exertion on the part of the operator to stop the machine.

If it is desired to apply the brake while the machine is running, the bar L is raised so that the pin it is free of the notch L, and then the lever H may be operated by hand to apply the brake G to retard the rotation of the needle-head; or, on the other hand, if we assume that the needle-head had been arrested I IOO to be rotated by hand to bring around any particular needle to the front of the machine.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the pivoted hand brake-lever has a short arm to which the curved brake is connected, the curvature of which shoe corresponds to the curvature of the needle-head, the parts being so constructed that the throw of the small arm of the lever is substantially equal to the radial movement of the shoe to or from the needlehead.

The means for rotatingthe needlehead and the clutch mechanism may be made in any of the well-known ways, the particular construction not having any limitation on this improvemcnt.

We do not limit ourselves to the particular latching connection of the bar Land lever H, as it may be modified in various ways without departing from our invention, and the brake proper may be also modified or changed in construction so long asit accomplishes the object stated. 7

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. In a knittingmachine, the combination, with the needle-head A, of the power shaft B, gearing D, to drive the needle-head, clutch E, clutch -lever F, brake-shoe G, and pivoted lever H, carrying said brake shoe and havinga fixed fulcrum, h, and independentof the clutchlever, whereby the needle-head may be slowed down by application of the brake Without interfering with the power, and the power may be thrown off and the brake applied.

2. In a knitting-machine, the needle-head, in combination with the power-shaft, the gearing connecting said power shaft with said needle-head, clutch mechanism to put said gearing into or out of action with said powershaft, a lever to operate said clutch mechanism, a brake acting upon said needle-head to arrest its rotation, connecting mechanisn1,substantially as set forth, between the clutch-lever and the brake, whereby the latter is automatically operated upon moving the clutch, and the latching devices by which the clutch-lever and brake mechanism may be connected or disconnected, to the end that when desired the brake may be operated by hand independently of the actionof the clutch, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the needle-head A, gearing D,clutch part E,power-shaft B, clutchlever F, brake-shoe G, brake-lever H, having the slotted piece K, provided with pin Jo, and bar L, hinged to the lever F and having notch L, adapted to catch over the pin It, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention wehereunto set our hands.

HOVAED \V. HARLEY. JOSEPH BRENNER.

\Vitnesses:

R. M. HUNTER, ANDREW ZANE, Jr. 

